In anticipation of the release of my e-book short story collection, Why They Cried (Fall 2010, Joyland/ECW Press), I'm offering up a free "fiction single" for Kindle, Nook, iPad, iPhone, Android and other formats.

Single: Two Stories contains two previously-published stories. "Miss Tennessee" is about a couple who can only communicate by speaking for their dog, Steve, while "The Cryerer" is about an actor who specializes in crying in made-for-TV movies. As ECW's page describes it, "Hanas writes a lean and powerful line that makes even absurd situations—a man who cries professionally, a beauty queen leaving her slob boyfriend for an astronaut—seem painfully familiar." Readers who like Nathanael West, George Saunders, David Foster Wallace, McSweeney's, and other offbeat literary fiction will enjoy this sampler.

I've also started a little experiment in reader service by launching a dedicated phone line for off-the-cuff interviews and to help anyone who wants to read my books but doesn't know where to begin with the whole e-book thing. The number is 347-WHY-THEY. (Thanks, Google Voice!) I'll keep everyone posted about how that experiment goes.